I am pleased to announce that Dr. Melanie Herzog has agreed to serve as the next Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences, effective August 1, 2018, after Dean John Fields steps down from the role this summer.

Melanie’s selection comes after an extensive process to identify potential internal candidates, a review of a statement of interest and sense of opportunities and challenges, and subsequent interviews with me. After this process, I am confident that Arts & Sciences will have a strong leader and advocate in Melanie.

Melanie has established herself as an exemplar of teaching, research, and service, and she has both a depth and breadth of experiences that have prepared her well for this important position. Over the course of the spring semester, Melanie will devote time to meeting with Arts & Sciences colleagues and Cabinet members, along with orienting herself to the dean role.

I am so grateful for the leadership that John Fields has provided for the last six years, and I am truly excited about the leadership that Melanie will be able to provide moving forward.